NASA’s Chief Scientist Reveals The Truth About Life On Mars

Dr. James B. Garvin, NASA’s chief scientist, discussed on the life on Mars topic for The Telegraph and presented the importance of the recent discovery of a liquid water underground lake beneath the Red Planet’s southern pole.

According to him, the new finding of liquid water on the Red Planet is not as surprising as it might seem, as the scientists have asserted for a long time ago that Mars might indeed house underground liquid water reservoirs. However, the precise discovery of such a feat on the Earth’s neighbor might have implications for the theories on the presence of extraterrestrial life on Mars.

Dr. James B. Garvin, the chief scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, near Washington, DC, USA, is a fervent fan of the Mars planet, as The Telegraph describes him.

Mars was mistakenly considered a deserted planet for decades

Until recent missions to Mars, scientists thought the fourth planet of our Solar System was a wasteland. However, novel probes and rovers sent on the Red Planet depicted that there are ravines and traces of ancient rivers, lakes, and oceans.

Even more, NASA scientists observed water ice on the Red Planet’s poles, a definite sign of the possible presence of liquid water on Mars.

The new evidence that Mars could’ve housed liquid water and that might also hold it, ignited the theories that the Red Planet may not be as deserted as believed by astronomers and scientists.

The truth about life on Mars, according to NASA’s chief scientist, Dr. James B. Garvin

As Dr. Garvin stated for The Telegraph, the recently discovered underground lake beneath Mars surface “could be a source of microbial life,” if it is indeed a liquid water lake.

“Let’s say this lake is a mile below the surface. Well, drilling that distance below the surface of the Earth costs a great deal, and demands a huge commitment of time and material. But drilling down a mile on Mars would tax the entire world economy, for an uncertain benefit,” suggested Dr. James B. Garvin, NASA’s chief scientist.

During the interview for The Telegraph, Dr. Garvin also debated Elon Musk’s dream of bringing people on Mars, saying that “Musk wants to pioneer the Martian frontier. The problem is, physics isn’t free.”